Chapter 17: Yin and Yang

Master Wu De was unreliable, and Ye Tian had no other choice. Besides, he couldn’t just leave the “Tortoise Shell” in his mind unused forever. Ye Tian gritted his teeth and agreed. At worst, he would just have to spend a few more days lying in bed.

Hearing Ye Tian finally relent, Liao Haode was overjoyed. He quickly said, “Good! Grandpa Liao definitely won’t blame you. When Grandpa Liao goes back, I’ll buy you lots of foreign toys…”

He had come here specifically to seek Ye Tian’s advice. Although an Old Taoist Priest with greater skill had appeared in the meantime, since that person was unwilling to leave the mountain, having Ye Tian make a trip already meant his purpose for coming here was achieved.

“Xiaolong, let’s go. We’re heading back.”

Although Maoshan had beautiful scenery, Liao Haode didn’t want to stay another moment. After calling his grandnephew over, he said, “Xiaolong, give your watch to classmate Ye Tian.”

Liao Haode had noticed before that Ye Tian would occasionally glance at that digital watch. Not knowing how else to express his gratitude right now, he thought of giving the watch to Ye Tian first.

“Great-uncle, fine.”

Guo Xiaolong was very unwilling, but he didn’t dare disobey his great-uncle. He slowly took off the watch and handed it toward Ye Tian, saying, “Ye Tian, here you go…”

“I don’t want it, Grandpa Liao. If you do this, I won’t go…” Ye Tian shook his head. He truly envied Guo Xiaolong for wearing a watch, but even a child had his pride. Ye Tian did not want someone else’s cast-off item.

“Alright, alright, Grandpa Liao was wrong. Let’s go, we’ll head back first.”

Liao Haode felt somewhat embarrassed that his flattery had backfired. He gave an awkward laugh and then said, “Feng Kuang, Xiaolong, Ye Tian is coming to our house as a guest. Don’t go gossiping about anything when you get back.”

“Old uncle, don’t you worry.”

Liao Haode’s grandnephew was a clever fellow. Although he privately thought it was ridiculous that his old uncle had finally invited a kid back to search for his late aunt’s grave, he didn’t show it on his face.

…

Feng Family Village was located on the western foothills of Maoshan. The entire village had over three hundred households, making it a relatively large village in the area. However, there were no more Liao family members left since Liao Haode’s father departed. Now, the main surnames were Feng, Zhang, and Guo.

A little after two in the afternoon, Liao Haode took Ye Tian and Guo Xiaolong for a stroll, walking out from the village entrance. They greeted the elderly folks in the village along the way, looking just like an elder taking the younger generation out for a walk.

However, just over ten minutes after Liao Haode left the village, Feng Kuang and a few sturdy young men followed them out, driving a horse-drawn cart. If anyone looked closely, they would notice the canvas on the cart was high and bulging. Underneath, there was not only an object shaped like a coffin but also the heads of several Shovels poking out.

On a ridge of farmland next to a cornfield, three figures stood—one large and two small. They were precisely Liao Haode, Ye Tian, and the others.

“Ye Tian, counting from the old locust tree at the village entrance, this is exactly six hundred steps. However, my mother’s grave has no marker at all, so it’s impossible to tell exactly where it is.”

Because his immediate family had essentially all left the Mainland, even when his mother passed away, it was her maternal relatives who helped with the burial. Many decades had passed, many of the old folks were no longer around. Coupled with over a decade of political movements, no one dared to come tend the graves. So, even those relatives couldn’t provide clear details. There was simply nothing to investigate.

After observing the ridge for a while, Ye Tian took a Luopan out from the schoolbag he was carrying and said, “Grandpa Liao, I will try to find it.”

The Luopan in Ye Tian’s hand had a somewhat metallic sheen, but upon closer inspection, one could see the entire Luopan was made from high-quality rosewood.

On the rim of the Luopan, there was a faint glimmer of golden light. The central pointer was crafted into the shape of a fish, fixed onto the Luopan with exquisite craftsmanship.

Due to frequent handling and use, the Luopan had developed a thick patina, exuding an aura of historical vicissitudes.

“Ye Tian, that Luopan of yours is a real treasure.” Liao Hao was a man with an eye for such things; his home contained many Antiques. With one glance, he knew this was definitely an old object.

Hearing this, Ye Tian curled his lip and said, “Of course. Master kept it hidden tightly. If he hadn’t sent me down the mountain this time, he probably wouldn’t have been willing to bring it out…”

Ye Tian had found the object novel before and had once asked the Old Taoist for it, only to be scolded. The old man said he would pass it on only after he died. Later, Ye Tian probed indirectly and learned from the Old Taoist’s words just how important a Luopan was to a Fengshui Master.

The Luopan could be said to be a Fengshui Master’s rice bowl. Every Master would only pass on his most important legacy and secret techniques to his favorite, capable disciple on his deathbed.

At the same time, the Luopan was also one of the ritual objects passed down from master to disciple. A master passing the methods and his legacy to a disciple signified entrusting his life’s work, hopes, and entire responsibility to that disciple. In the Jianghu profession, this was often called handing over the rice bowl to the disciple, hoping they would carry on the legacy and bring it to greater heights.

Chinese people placed great emphasis on orderly succession, and the profession of Feng Shui and Physiognomy was no different.

Before liberation, if a traveling Fengshui Master had not received his master’s legacy, he would lack the crucial secret techniques of the lineage and typically would not be considered a legitimate inheritor.

Of course, most Fengshui Masters in the Jianghu nowadays had no such inheritance. These people were called “dipper learners”—self-taught practitioners or those who picked it up midway.

Some weren’t even as good as “dipper learners.” As long as they were smooth-talkers, knew how to read people, bought a few books to study, they dared to go out on the streets to help people analyze Feng Shui or practice Physiognomy. These were outright charlatans.

Such individuals without proper master-disciple inheritance could manage simple assessments of Yang Dwelling Feng Shui or Yin grave Feng Shui.

But they could not help people set up a Feng Shui Arrangement. Because the harm caused by poor Yin grave Feng Shui could be devastating—from wiping out a clan to causing injuries and deaths—those half-baked Fengshui Masters usually didn’t dare to dabble in it.

So, despite Ye Tian’s young age, if he truly entered the profession of Feng Shui and Physiognomy, his lineage and seniority would likely be so high that, apart from the Old Taoist on the mountain and his two senior brothers who were not in the country, no one could surpass him.

The Luopan Ye Tian held was extremely complex, with over forty layers. The Heaven and Earth plates were covered with the Innate Eight Trigrams, Acquired Eight Trigrams, the true needle twenty-four positions, seventy-two mountain-piercing techniques, and other Occult Arts texts. Showing it to an outsider would definitely make their head spin.

However, for looking at Yin grave Feng Shui and searching for a Burial Mound, using the Earth plate alone was sufficient. Ye Tian pulled a slip of paper from his schoolbag. On it was written the name of Liao Haode’s mother, along with her birth and death dates.

“Liao Guo Shi, from Jurong, Jiangsu. Born in the early years of the Republic of China era, passed away in 1952…”

Holding the paper and pondering for a moment, Ye Tian began to murmur calculations. He kept adjusting the Luopan to determine directions. Although he was still young, in Liao Haode’s eyes, he truly had the bearing of a Master.

What Liao Haode didn’t know was that Ye Tian himself had no idea what he was muttering about. Because his attention right now wasn’t on the Luopan in his hands but was entirely focused on the “Luopan” in his mind.

In truth, based on the birth details Liao Haode provided, Ye Tian could also Deduce something. But with a ready-made, powerful tool in his mind, he wasn’t going to exhaust himself doing something even his Master couldn’t manage.

After uttering the words “Arcane Repository,” the Tortoise Shell indeed appeared as expected.

Looking at this familiar yet strange object, Ye Tian still felt somewhat apprehensive. After all, practicing Feng Shui and Physiognomy went against the natural order, and Ye Tian had already experienced the consequences of Qi Backlash.

“I’ll risk it. At worst, I’ll go back and lie down for two more days…”

Ye Tian gritted his teeth and made up his mind. It wasn’t that he particularly wanted to help Liao Haode, but having such a mysterious, heaven-defying object in his mind and not using it would be a terrible waste.

But to use it freely without harming himself, he needed to find its pattern. Just thinking about it was useless; he had to use it to discover its mysteries.

“Geomancy…”

Ye Tian focused all his attention on the words “Geomancy” within the “Six Arts.” Immediately, these two characters brightened. At the same time, Ye Tian silently recited Liao Guo Shi’s information in his mind.

The mysterious patterns on the Tortoise Shell began combining rapidly. Symbols Ye Tian couldn’t understand appeared before his eyes. Suddenly, the entire Tortoise Shell transformed into a stream of light that flowed into Ye Tian’s eyes.

“Huh? Did I open the heavenly eye again?” Ye Tian felt a slight dizziness in his head and quickly closed his eyes. After a few seconds, he slowly opened them again.

Gazing at the space that should have been empty, Ye Tian murmured to himself, “Yin-Yang Qi!”

In Ye Tian’s present vision, the cornstalks all over the field, which should have been taller than him, seemed to vanish. Instead, swirling, clustering mists appeared within his sight.

Ye Tian knew this was Yin Energy, also called Earth Qi. Dragon-Seeking and Acupoint Locating involved finding the central point where Yin Energy gathered to serve as the site for the Burial Mound.

According to ancient beliefs, after the deceased is buried, their own Zhenqi combines with Yin Energy to form vital energy. Through the pathway of interaction between Yin and Yang, it subtly influences the Qi Luck of living relatives. This way, it can protect descendants with blessings, prosperity, and health, bringing fortune to future generations.

Yin dwellings were for burying ancestors; Yang dwellings were naturally for the living. This shows the crucial importance of Yin and Yang energies in Fengshui Geomancy. That’s why the ancients also called Fengshui Masters “Yin-Yang masters.”

As for whether the saying that a Fengshui Treasure Land could bring fortune to descendants was true or false, Ye Tian’s knowledge was insufficient to judge. But at this moment, he believed in the concept of Yin-Yang Qi.

“Good Feng Shui. It seems this Liao Haode has enjoyed the blessings of his ancestors.”

Looking at the Yin-Yang Qi over this cornfield, Ye Tian couldn’t help but sigh. Having followed the Old Taoist for so long, even though this was his first independent outing, he still knew what kind of Feng Shui could be called a treasure land.

In Ye Tian’s vision now, there wasn’t only swirling, clustering Yin Energy. There was also Yang Energy radiating threads of warmth. In some places, Yin and Yang intermingled—Yin contained Yang, and Yang contained Yin. They clashed and harmonized, forming marvelous scenes.